Browns 27, Rams 20
Had Braylon Edwards not done his best Dwayne Rudd impersonation, and had he caught Derek Anderson's throw on the Browns final offensive possession, you could have called it a flawless performance.

This was Braylon Edwards' game. He was the star, the big-budget leading man, an action-movie protagonist. He had a great supporting cast: Derek Anderson, Kellen Winslow, Joe Jurevicious and Jamal Lewis all played significant roles.

But if the field turf at whatever they call that dome in St. Louis was a stage, Edwards deserved the curtain call.

When discussing the game afterwards with someone close to me, I gave my first thought on Edwards: Great receivers make catches to put the game away, and they certainly don't give back 15 yards of a 19-yard completion to show the world how handsome they are.

But the person on the other end of the phone line thought I was crazy.

"Braylon Edwards WAS the reason they won today," he said.

Then I watched the highlights of the game. Edwards was all over them. It wasn't just the number of catches (8), his receiving yards (117) or his touchdown catches (2). It was the way in which he did it.

It was as if the Browns said to the Rams: "Here's our best player. Stop him if you can."

The Rams couldn't. For most of the day, the Browns moved the ball at will, overcoming penalties and a 14-0 deficit. And Edwards was the biggest reason.

The No. 3 pick of the 2005 draft has nine touchdown catches this season, four from the Browns' record of 13 set by Gary Collins in 1963. That was a year before the Browns' last NFL title.

Edwards' emergence in offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski's system is not the biggest reason the Browns are better. That honor goes to the offensive line.

But Edwards is breaking out in a way few of us expected. Eventually, defenses will double him and try to take him away.

That's what Winslow is for.

- I don't expect the defense to get much credit from anyone this week. It gave up 393 yards to a wounded, mediocre club. Steven Jackson got hurt in the first half and never returned. Mark Bulger hurt his thumb and missed part of a series. And the Browns' still struggled.

No pass rush to speak of, though Cleveland did record a sack. The pass defense was spotty, which is more a reflection of the Browns line than anything else.

And still, the Browns came through with some big stops. Twice, they stopped the Rams on fourth-and-1s. Then Leigh Bodden -- for the second time this season -- sealed a win with an interception in the game's final minute.

The Browns did give the defense all the rest it could ask for, having a pair of drives in the second half that went longer than six minutes.

In many ways, the long drives were more meaningful than an 80-yard pass. The defense is mediocre, but if you can keep it off the field, it's easier to ignore.

And Browns fans will have to ignore it, because it won't be getting better.

- Romeo Crennel needed two things from the Browns to take the heat off of him this season.

Cleveland needed to perform better in the AFC North -- it is 2-1.

The Browns had to win-back-to-back games -- they have done it.

Skeptics will point out the Browns did it against teams with a combined record of 0-16. The counter is the Browns have beaten teams they are supposed to.

There haven't been many of those in recent seasons.